Always have a camera

This is something I am learning... I carry a Canon Power shot with me whenever I am on two wheels. A small camera but takes great photos and even has a decent zoom. I really love the art of Photography and recently purchased a Nikon D60 digital SLR camera. Sam & I now both have digital SLRs and we have taken to doing photo safaris whenever possible. Our skills are minimal but we are trying... we just keep taking pictures. The only way to learn is by doing - fortunately, with digital cameras it is fairly easy to tell if a photo might turn out ok.

Couple weeks ago we visited Sam's sister in her place in Alachua, this is a 4 1/2 hour drive but we took the scenic route and took our time. We stopped at several parks to practice using our cameras. The results were mixed -- we took lots of pictures but only a few were worthwhile. Eventually, we will get better and take more useful shots and fewer out-of-focus ones.


We discovered a number of parks we had not heard of... we will return and explore each park more completely.
One park in particular was truly amazing. We entered one of the Big Bend Wildlife management area and headed to the Hickory Mound Impoundment. We drove down this dirt road that seemed to go forever. We began to wonder if the drive off the highway was going to be worth it. Then we turned a bend and discover the impoundment, wow! A huge marsh area that is a birder's paradise! In a short amount of time we saw numerous birds. Totally Awesome! We are looking forward to coming back throughout the year, this area is part of a migration path for many species especially in the winter cycle.

Going for it!

Ok, I am really going for it now. Put in my Beach Blast II registration for "local athlete - sprint duathlon" -- hmmm, local athlete sounds weird I am trying to get fit but I don't 'feel' like an athlete yet. My mind is starting its shift to Training, Training, Training followed by Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. Daily mantras for me to remember. Focusing on the moment, giving "the Date" its due, but not getting too ahead of myself. Also, not falling for the trap of 'it's only one cookie or one piece of chocolate" "there's plenty of time left to get ready"... but --- if I get sidetracked just a little then race day will be here and I won't be ready.

The race is just under 3 months away, I know I can finish in my current state of fitness but I want to do well not just finish -- gasping across the finish line - begging for mercy. I want to finish strong, feeling powerful as I run, feeling strength as I pedal forward, and crossing the finish line knowing I did it! I am a strong woman -- hear me roar! Yep, that is the moment I seek, my moment as one "tuff chick" Ta Ta-Dah!

11 weeks and 6 days

Tick, tock - the clock is ticking along... Just under 12 weeks until the Beach Blast II -- I am signing up for the sprint duathlon. Fortunately, this is enough time to get ready. But - My training really needs to kick into gear. I took this week off from the gym -- I had 3 days with working during the day and then teaching at night. I am done with the teaching contract until late August. I can focus on getting legs under me, so to speak -- for the run and bike ride. I am doing better with my diet lately, not so many sweets... I love chocolate!!

Keeping hydrated is essential, the summer temps are brutal. Now that I am done with the night classes, I can get back to riding my bike to work... the only really difficult part of bike commuting is the ride home in the afternoon. The heat at 5pm is unbelievable! Asphalt is wicked as you stand there waiting for the lights to change... I have felt blistering heat climb up my legs and worried that soles of my shoes were melting. Currently, we have been scorching under an intense heat wave with temps reaching 100º with heat index going 105º & better. I am going to take my runs to the path early in the mornings Mon/Wed/Fri and commute 2x via bike and then Saturdays do long ride in the mornings. I know I can finish the race with my current conditioning but I really want to do well. My goal has been one sprint triathlon race this year, I am happy with a duathlon.

Next year will be a triathlon... a sprint for now. Finding a way to fit in swimming training is going to be tough, I am allergic to chlorine - so pools are out, I have to train in open water unless I can find a saline pool or something similar. Swimming lessons might not be a bad idea either, mainly lessons to build a 'decent' freestyle stroke. Fast is not as important as consistent with some endurance. Ah, my mind wanders... getting fit is so important to me and I think I have finally found the mindset to "stick to it" that when I find myself dripping in sweat I can keep pushing forward to finish it out. Livestrong!

June weekend

This first weekend of June has been very pleasant. A wedding in the family brought many of us together to celebrate the start of a new chapter in the lives of two families. The ceremony was done in the Episcopal church the groom grew up with, the bride was beautiful of course and at the couple's request, the festivities were kept low-key without much pomp & circumstances... it was nice.

We used this event as an excuse to explore the countryside.
We took our sweet time driving into town, traveled a new route. I have a new camera, a Nikon D60 DSLR and I was excited at the prospect to try it out. I love taking pictures, capturing a moment in time and seeing the unique beauty of the moment. Photography is an art form -- I am a fledgling student of the craft. We saw numerous birds (which I have discovered are VERY hard to capture in the camera) and we have found this new route is a pleasant drive. We even realized at least 4 new locations to put in our canoes/kayaks that we have not tried yet.

Although summer has not officially begun, in Southern Georgia it seems the Summer season is in full swing. At one of our stops, we discovered an enormous field of wild blackberries. Gorgeous!
Seeing these berries brought back memories of childhood, picking buckets of the berries (eating twice as many as made it to Grandma's kitchen) and watching blackberry "doobie" made by grandma and Ma-Ma (my great-grandmother) basically a cooked down fruit with rolled dough cooked in the fruit -- a cobbler without crust. Yummmmm! One of those dishes I never did learn how to make. I may ask Mom if she remembers how so I can take a stab at re-creating a childhood memory. :-)

Smoke-free

My smoke-free anniversary is drawing near, after nine years it is difficult to remember smoking. My current lifestyle is so different from ten years ago. I find cigarette and cigar smoke so offensive now. Meeting someone and smelling cigarettes has really become a huge turn-off. After watching my dad struggle with his emphysema and having my lungs also affected I have developed a strong distate for the smoking habit. It is possible to quit - it is hard but if anyone really wants to quit they can do it. I smoked for nearly 25 years and quit 'cold-turkey' as no other method worked for me. Getting healthy and fit became a priority and I put all my efforts in this direction.

Fitness and exercise have become a major part of my daily life, so much so that I get 'squirrely' if I miss too my workouts more than 3 days in a row. If all goes well, I should do my first duathlon in September - I do not expect to be fast, I just want to not be last. :-)